#### § 600.1500 Definitions and acronyms.

In addition to the definitions in the Magnuson-Stevens Act and in § 600.10, and the acronyms in § 600.15, the terms and acronyms in this subpart have the following meanings:

*Authorized entity* means a person, defined at 16 U.S.C. 1802(36), authorized to receive data transmitted by a VMS unit.

*Bench configuration* means the configuration of a VMS unit after it has been customized to meet the Federal VMS requirements.

*Bundle* means a mobile communications service and VMS unit sold as a package and considered one product. If a bundle is type-approved, the requestor will be the type-approval holder for the bundled MCS and VMS unit.

*Cellular communication* means the wireless transmission of VMS data via a cellular network.

*Communication class* means the satellite or cellular communications operator from which communications services originate.

*Electronic form* means a pre-formatted message transmitted by a VMS unit that is required for the collection of data for a specific fishery program (*e.g.,* declaration system, catch effort reporting).

*Enhanced Mobile Transceiver Unit (EMTU)* means a type of MTU that is capable of supporting two-way communication, messaging, and electronic forms transmission via satellite. An EMTU is a transceiver or communications device, including an antenna, and dedicated message terminal and display which can support a dedicated input device such as a tablet or keyboard, installed on fishing vessels participating in fisheries with a VMS requirement.

*Enhanced Mobile Transceiver Unit, Cellular Based (EMTU-C)* means an EMTU that transmits and receives data via cellular communications, except that it may not need a dedicated message terminal and display component at the time of approval as explained at § 600.1502(a)(6). An EMTU-C only needs to be capable of transmission and reception when in the range of a cellular network.

*Latency* means the state of untimely delivery of Global Positioning System position reports and electronic forms to NMFS (*i.e.,* information is not delivered to NMFS consistent with timing requirements of this subpart).

*Mobile Communications Service (MCS)* means the satellite and/or cellular communications services used with particular VMS units.

*Mobile Communications Service Provider (MCSP)* means an entity that sells VMS satellite and/or cellular communications services to end users.

*Mobile Transmitter Unit (MTU)* means a VMS unit capable of transmitting Global Positioning System position reports via satellite. (MTUs are no longer approved for new installations on VMS vessels).

*Notification Letter* means a letter issued by NMFS to a type-approval holder identifying an alleged failure of a VMS unit, MCS, or the type-approval holder to comply with the requirements of this subpart.

*Position report* means the unique global positioning system (GPS) report generated by a vessel's VMS unit, which identifies the vessel's latitude/longitude position at a point in time. Position reports are sent from the VMS unit via the MCS, to authorized entities.

*Requestor* means a vendor seeking type-approval.

*Service life* means the length of time during which a VMS unit remains fully operational with reasonable repairs.

*Sniffing* means the unauthorized and illegitimate monitoring and capture, through use of a computer program or device, of data being transmitted over a network.

*Spoofing* means the reporting of a false Global Positioning System position and/or vessel identity.

*Time stamp* means the time, in hours, minutes, and seconds in a position report. Each position report is time stamped.

*Type-approval holder* means an applicant whose type-approval request has been approved pursuant to this subpart.

*Vendor* means a commercial provider of VMS hardware, software, and/or mobile communications services.

*Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)* means, for purposes of this subpart, a satellite and/or cellular based system designed to monitor the location and movement of vessels using onboard VMS units that send Global Positioning System position reports to an authorized entity.

*Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data* means the data transmitted to authorized entities from a VMS unit.

*Vessel Monitoring System Program* means the Federal program that manages the vessel monitoring system, data, and associated program-components, nationally and in each NMFS region; it is housed in the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service's Office of Law Enforcement.

*Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Unit* means MTU, EMTU or EMTU-C, as well as the units that can operate as both an EMTU and an EMTU-C.

*Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Vessels* means vessels that operate in federally managed fisheries with a requirement to carry and operate a VMS unit.